Job Opportunity:
Skateable Spaces Development Officer
Key Purpose of Role
· To lead a series of workstreams, including a UK-wide Audit of existing skateable spaces and subsequent strategy for the development of new spaces.
· To respond to enquiries and then provide ongoing assistance to skater-led skatepark campaigns and/or Local Government, where skateboarding is a clear priority in the development of that facility.
Key Responsibilities
· Working with Skateboard GB colleagues to ensure that support for the development of skateable spaces encompasses all levels of need, from grassroots through to talent pipeline Hubs to elite performance.
· To represent Skateboard GB directly in number of important national and regional projects.
· To support the Community Development Officer in producing a new, revised ‘Design and Development Guidance’ toolkit for skateparks and other skateable spaces, updating and significantly expanding on the existing version (published with Sport England in July 2020). This will include engagement with the main skatepark design and construction companies and independent experts across the skateable spaces agenda in the UK and internationally.
· Review, finalise and implement a new ‘Park Mark’ best-practice kitemark for indoor skateparks, which will be rolled out as part of a refreshed Skateboard GB membership offer in early 2024.
· Support the Community Development Officer in providing advocacy, research and partnership engagement on innovative, replicable or ‘flagship’ skateable public realm and the wider ‘skate friendly cities’ agenda.
· Provide support in managing day-to-day enquires and requests for advice and support from the skateboarding community, Local Government and other stakeholders, working with the Community Development Officer to identify those that are skater-led and/or where skateboarding is a clear priority.
This Job Description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties. It outlines the main purpose of the role and its key responsibilities. It is expected that these, and the duties, will develop in time.
Skills and Experience Required
Essential
· Passion for and understanding of skateboarding.
· Knowledge or experience of navigating relevant urban planning and built environment policy and regulations. This could be from working on a skatepark or similar campaign, or for a community group or charity, OR relevant professional practice or subject study.
· Good inter-personal skills and written and verbal communication skills.
· Experience in managing projects and delivering on agreed outcomes.
· Experience of building and developing partnerships with different public or private sector organisations.
· Able to work collaboratively on digital assets, policies and reports.
· A shared belief in the core values of Skateboard GB.
· Willingness to travel to in-person events as required, either by own vehicle (mileage will be reimbursed) or public transport, with full provision and flexibility made for caring commitments and/or any disability or medical condition that may affect travel to given locations/at given times.
Desirable
· Skills in relevant ICT packages.
· Experience of marketing, communications or media (e.g., contributing to social media assets on skateparks and other skateable spaces).
· Awareness of health and safety and environmental issues that may affect skateparks and other skateable spaces.
· Knowledge of relevant building standards and other regulations affecting skateparks and other skateable spaces.
· Experience of fundraising and/or applying for grants.
If you’re excited about this role, but your past experience doesn’t seem to align perfectly with every element of this Job Description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles at Skateboard GB, and your perspectives and lived experiences could be just the things we need to create the changes that’ll transform skateboarding for the better, for everyone.
Further Information
Who we are
Skateboard GB is the UK-wide governing body for skateboarding with responsibility for talent, Olympic and world-class performance, in addition to grassroots skateboarding within England.
What we do
Skateboard GB exists to give skateboarders the opportunity to “Skate More, Skate Better” ensuring we are skater-focused in everything that we do; as we aim to lead, support, empower and facilitate.
Our Values
As an employer and as a team, Skateboard GB are committed to:
· Trust and respect (for each other, our community, and for people’s different needs, beliefs, abilities and perspectives);
· Learning, collaboration and ideas (valuing ideas from all perspectives and trying to ensure diverse and inclusive representation);
· Supporting and caring for each other; and
· Progressing the values, culture and purpose of skateboarding (whilst understanding that there are many different equally valid perspectives of what skateboarding’s value, culture and purpose may be).
It is important that we live these values through our recruitment policy and practices. If you’re not sure you meet every single requirement in this Job Description but believe you have a lot to offer in this role, we are keen to hear from you. Remember that a wide range of surveys have shown that women, people of colour and people with disabilities often only apply for jobs if they meet all the criteria for skills and past experience, whilst men and/or people who are white and/or able-bodied are more likely to apply for job roles where they only meet some of the criteria
Background to the Role
Skateboard GB have a strategic objective to improve the quality and accessibility of skateable spaces in the UK, in order for every skater in the UK to be able to “Skate More, Skate Better,” no matter where they live or what their needs are.
‘Skateable spaces’ can be formal (purpose-built) indoor or outdoor skateparks, deliberately ‘skate friendly’ public realm developments or augmented spaces, ‘meanwhile’ or temporary spaces (including vacant shops or indoor car parks), ‘DIY’ or skater-built spaces (which can be formal/permitted or informal); or the wide-range of informally used spaces, from public plazas and market squares to carparks and high-streets.
We estimate that there are more than 1,700 public outdoor skateparks in the UK (the majority of which are owned by Local Government and are not staffed) and c.75 indoor skateparks (the majority of which are privately operated, either commercially or by constituted not-for-profits). In July 2020, Skateboard GB and Sport England jointly published the ‘Design and Development Guidance’ toolkit for skateboarding, which enabled significant improvements in Local Government approaches to user-engagement, procurement and design of outdoor public skateparks.
Skateboard GB are increasingly working with local skatepark community groups (and wider local/regional skate development non-profits) to support new projects across the UK.
In the 2023-24 and 2024-25 financial years, in collaboration with Sport England, Skateboard GB will project manage: 1) an Audit of existing indoor and outdoor provision of skateable spaces; and then 2) a Strategy setting out priorities for how the UK’s estate of skateable spaces can be improved.
This role is being advertised to coincide with start of the Audit, and at a time when several other challenges and opportunities are emerging, including those linked to major UK public policy and business challenges (such as decarbonisation, active travel, ‘levelling up’ and addressing widening inequalities in physical health, wellbeing, physical activity and educational and employment outcomes).
You can find out more about Skateboard GB’s current strategic plan and priorities here:
https://skateboardgb.org/news/2021/10/15/ambitious-twelve-year-strategy-for-skateboarding-in-great-britain
And the Government’s new strategy for sport and physical activity is here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/get-active-a-strategy-for-the-future-of-sport-and-physical-activity"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/get-active-a-strategy-for-the-future-of-sport-and-physical-activity
How To Apply
SBGB is fully committed to equality of opportunity for all job applicants and aims to select people for employment based on their skills, abilities, experience, knowledge and, where appropriate, qualifications and training. SBGB encourages job applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, religion, belief or sexual orientation, and those with disabilities (for whom all reasonable adjustments will be made to enable them to fulfil their duties.).
If you’re excited about this role, but your past experience doesn’t seem to align perfectly with every element of this Job Description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles at SBGB, and your perspectives and lived experiences could be just the things we need to create the changes that’ll transform skateboarding for the better, for everyone.
Please submit your CV together with information on how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the role: this can be in the form of a paragraph (no more than 500 words) or a short video or audio recording (no more than 4 minutes).
APPLICATIONS FOR THIS ROLE ARE NOW CLOSED